What little things have you been priced out of?

euronorris

Do a lot of people choose to buy potted plants, rather than grow their own? I've always (when I've had a garden or balcony) grown things from the seed. It's just how my Dad taught me, and I enjoy it.

Just wondering because, a friend of my folks grows a lot of tomato plants every year, and then takes the seedlings to the boot fair and sells them there. She made about 1k last year on those alone!!!

Can't help thinking that I really NEED a garden now, so I can do this too! lol

balletshoes

I get free annual plants from my mum every year, she's really good at growing from seed. I'm rubbish at it, so any perennials etc I buy as small plants and grow them on.

tinktinktinkerbell

going to the cinema

would cost us at the cheapest (and thats going before 5pm) £21.90

and at the peak time (after 5pm) £24.60

thats including travel too and from but does not include any snacks or drinks!

i didnt know the prices had gone up till ive just checked now!

its diabolical that it costs so much!

vesper

Luckily I've never been one for shop bought sandwiches, I would much rather make my own. But OH was awful for buying food when he was at work, he's a delivery driver so would stop and have a bacon bap, chips, full brekkie, what ever took his fancy, plus a couple of bottles of coke of whatever during the day. He's now on pack lunches which cost me about £5-6 a week, as I go every month and drinks and things from Home Bargains. It was costing £5-6 a day, if not more!

I've also cut his hair for years after the nearest barbers shoved their prices up to £8 and I bought the shaver for £20. Adminantly I'm in 'trouble' at the moment as managed to shave his sideburns off the other day.

I have cut out magazines. I buy the odd one now as a treat and if there's a really special, monthly magazine I want OH gets me an annual subscription for xmas.

I'm also fed up of paying £1 for a brocolli, the price of veg is getting terrible. I now go and talk to the people on the allotments and buy some of their stuff. Am trying to grow my own this year, but had to hunt round for seeds as they are about £2 a packet now, luckily thanks to Lidl's and QD I'm fully stocked up.

shegirl

euronorris wrote: »

Do a lot of people choose to buy potted plants, rather than grow their own? I've always (when I've had a garden or balcony) grown things from the seed. It's just how my Dad taught me, and I enjoy it.

Just wondering because, a friend of my folks grows a lot of tomato plants every year, and then takes the seedlings to the boot fair and sells them there. She made about 1k last year on those alone!!!

Can't help thinking that I really NEED a garden now, so I can do this too! lol

I do seeds,bulbs and plug plants (from thompson and morgan-they save me a fortune).We have loads of tomato and strawberry plants along with probably waaaay too many perennials for this year and was considering selling a few seedlings and grown on plants.They didn't really cost anything and have a feeling we'll have far too many plants anyway,so it would be worth it.

euronorris

vesper wrote: »

I've also cut his hair for years after the nearest barbers shoved their prices up to £8 and I bought the shaver for £20. Adminantly I'm in 'trouble' at the moment as managed to shave his sideburns off the other day.

Hahahahaha! I'm so glad I'm not the only one! :rotfl:

euronorris

Bulbs are great! I picked up some tulip bulbs at the airport once, for my Mum for Mother's Day. I think it was 3 years ago now, and they pop up again every Spring around Mother's Day! I LOVE that!

victory

:rotfl:

Hermia wrote: »

Magazines - I love craft mags, but they prices are just getting silly. I was looking at a few the other day and the cheapest was £4.50 and the most expensive was £5.99. Bearing in mind that you can often buy the latest hardback craft books on Amazon for under £10 the prices just seem ridiculous.

Cinema - I am a cinephile, but haven't been to the cinema in ages. The last time I went the cheapest ticket was £9 for a midweek daytime showing (and no it wasn't in central London) plus the cost of getting there. I have an online DVD rental subscription which is cheaper than one trip to the cinema, but my TV is quite small so it's not the same.

not the same but at least you get to see them
http://www.movie2k.to/tvshows_featured.php

ukjoel

Going to the cinema - Now its lovefilm or various free websites instead

Haircuts - Boys have them done at home now - girls still get it done properly as the mrs didnt fancy a sigourney weaver.

Plants - Boot sales and small ads instead of garden centres

Restaurants were replaced by takeout a few years back but think we have had one takeout so far this year (this has coincided with a 2 stone weight loss which I dont think is a coincidence)

Car - The BMW is going to be replaced by a French diesel hybrid.

Coffee and sandwiches I dont do - far too expensive

Greetings cards - Bought 300 assorted but good quality cards at the boot sale for a few quidto cover every occasion going so no longer need to spend up to a £5 a week on cards for people.

Food - I stock up with lots when the offers are good - Am lucky that I have enough cash and enough space to pick up 30 packs of cheerios or cocoa pops when they are down to £1. Also means I am ready for a zombie outbreak and can stay in the house until its all over.

rdchick

euronorris wrote: »

Some things are, and some things aren't. Swings and roundabouts. But, getting my haircut is €37, plus a small tip, so €40.

I don't know about the wages being higher, per se. When I moved here, my salary was on a par with what I was earning in the UK (when exchange rate is considered), but the cost of living is higher. If you have a mortgage, it'll be fairly cheap (as the government will give you the tax back on your mortgage payments). But if you're renting privately (social housing was never an option for me), then it's very expensive. Dependant on location of course. But our rent, for a very small one bedroom place, is €925pm!!!

It's not just the rent that's more expensive, you have to factor in health insurance too. For decent cover, you're looking at around €130pm, plus an excess of at least €260 (set by law). And certain things aren't covered by insurers - contraceptive pill for one. Used to be, but they changed the law, so now insurance companies won't cover it. Though they will cover you for other forms of contraception (such as IUD, implant, etc).

There are benefits though: - employers have to pay your commuting costs (up to a certain limit). So what I spend on public transport is reimbursed. If you have a car, you get a mileage allowance (think it's 17 cents per mile).

You also get holiday allowance. This is 8% of your salary, paid out once a year in May. Effectively, another month's salary.

And council tax tends to be a lot lower. It was just over €350 for 2012. Yes, the whole of 2012! It's less if you are a 1 person household.

Oh, and (I don't know how much you expect to earn, so this is a guess) you would most likely be taxed at the standard rate - 42%. Earn over 75k (I think! It's around that) and the tax rate jumps up to 52%. Hearing someone say on the UK news last night that the 50% tax, that has just been dropped, was the highest rate in europe made me laugh out loud. It's actually higher here in NL, and Sweden is very high! In fact, most European countries have higher taxes.

Anyway, there are pros and cons. Dutch is desirable, but certainly not essential. I have come across very few people who don't speak fluent English, and even then I've always gotten by with a combination of English and Dutch. But, I would recommend it learning the language. Makes things a LOT easier on you, and will really help you to integrate, settle and feel at home.

xxx

Thanks!! Sorry to hijack the thread a bit there OP! I don't know if we would ever take the pludge and go back but I plan to become either a teacher or a nurse (if I become a nurse it will be in the RAF!) next year so both will help if we do decide to go over. I know what you mean about tax and rent, his family all own their own properties but me and the BF just can't get a deposit together at the mo so they are shocked that we pay £975pcm and don't even own the place! Good thing would be if we did go over I would have a secured job in teaching as his dad is quite high up in the education sector!
Thanks again for you info!
xxx